Sunday, March 27, 2016

President Eyring’s Sunday morning talk from October 2015 general conference, “The Holy Ghost as Your Companion”

We talked about apostles that any of us had met. The instructor talked of not meeting president Eyring, but in doing work on president Eyring’s home. He talked about the feeling in his home.

The Holy Ghost will confirm truth that you are hearing.

We are all born with the light of Christ, which is a small portion of the Holy Ghost. It might be called our conscience. The Gift of the Holy Ghost is something we must seek for and it must be conferred upon us by one with authority from God.

The light of Christ is like a flashlight in the dark. The Gift of the Holy Ghost is light a flood light or perhaps the light of the sun.

“The companionship of the Holy Ghost makes what is good more attractive and temptation less compelling. That alone should be enough to make us determined to qualify for the Spirit to be with us always.

“Just as the Holy Ghost strengthens us against evil, He also gives us the power to discern truth from falsehood. The truth that matters most is verified only by revelation from God. Our human reason and the use of our physical senses will not be enough. We live in a time when even the wisest will be hard-pressed to distinguish truth from clever deception.” (President Henry B Eyring, “The Holy Ghost as Your Companion”, October 2015 General Conference)

“The truths that mark the way home to God are verified by the Holy Ghost. We cannot go to the grove and see the Father and the Son speak to the young Joseph Smith. No physical evidence or any logical argument can establish that Elijah came as promised to confer the priesthood keys now held and exercised by a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

“Confirmation of truth comes to a son or daughter of God who has claimed the right to receive the Holy Ghost. Since falsehoods and lies may be presented to us at any time, we need a constant influence of the Spirit of Truth to spare us moments of doubt.

“While a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, George Q. Cannon urged that we make a constant quest for the Spirit to be with us. He promised, and I promise it as well, that if we pursue that course, we “will never lack for knowledge” of the truth, “never be in doubt or in darkness,” and our ‘faith will be strong, [our] joy … full.’2” (President Henry B Eyring, “The Holy Ghost as Your Companion”, October 2015 General Conference)

Sunday School

My lesson on How can the Book of Mormon help me strengthen my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

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Have you learned anything in your gospel studies this week that you would like to share?

It is Easter today. What is Easter?

How can the Book of Mormon help me strengthen my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

From the lesson outline:

The primary purpose of the Book of Mormon is to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ. It teaches that we “must come unto Him or [we] cannot be saved” (1 Nephi 13:40). It contains many examples of faithful disciples who had faith in Jesus Christ and received the blessings of His Atonement. Book of Mormon prophets bore powerful testimony of the Savior, that we “may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins” (2 Nephi 25:26).

Why is it important to convince people that Jesus is the Christ? So they can follow his example? What does following his example get them? Eternal life. What about in this life? What do they get in this life? Knowledge of how to be happy. Is that true? Does following Jesus gives us the knowledge to be happy in this life?

But we have trials happen to us. People get hurt. People have disabilities. How is following Jesus suppose to make me happy when stuff like that happens?

Do you have any scriptures about Jesus Christ that are meaningful to you?

Do you have any scriptures which have helped you better understand the Atonement?

Often times people accuse Latter-day saints of not being Christians or people in the Church spend a lot of effort trying to prove to others that we are Christian. In some ways the word Christian can kind of be a loaded word meaning more than what we intend. The word saints is probably a better word to describe us. A saint as the Lord used it was not someone who was perfect, but one who followed the Lord and made covenants with him. Christian meaning one who believes in Christ is nice starting point, but the word saint means one who has made covenants with the Lord.

Have the youth imagine that a friend asks them if Mormons are Christians. Challenge them to use scriptures from the Book of Mormon (such as the scriptures suggested in this outline) to answer this question.

Everyone look up Elder Neil L Anderson’s October 2011 General Conference talk, “The Book of Mormon: Strengthening Our Faith in Jesus Christ.” Everyone take a section and see if you can answer the question, “How can the Book of Mormon help me strengthen my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ?”

People in the old testament and in the Book of Mormon knew of Christ. Their animal sacrifices were to remind them off Christ. When something is like Christ to make us remember him we sometimes call that a type of of Christ.

Jacob tells us about this:

Jacob 4:5

5 Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son.

After going over all this with the youth have them see if they have thought of any other things they could tell a friend to show that Latter-day saints believe in Christ.

We don’t hear a lot about the Savior so blatantly like this in the Old Testament. There is a lot of stuff in Isaiah pointing forward to a messiah, but a lot of it is in poetry and symbolism. Perhaps this was to protect the doctrine from those of that time who may have felt the teaching threatening. Perhaps it was to protect the doctrine from the future custodians of the record. Some of the hands that what we have now as the Bible were not always in it for God, so they removed things that were more plain and that threatened their position in the Church.

It is possible that there were things more plainly spoken about the Savior, but were removed by those that didn’t believe it or that wanted to keep control over the people.

The Book of Mormon is more rich with plainly spoken things about Christ because if was sealed away for our day and did not pass through all those hands.

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Sacrament Service

Jesus doesn't make up the difference. He makes the difference.

Lots of people are pulling for you. Jesus is pulling with you.

“People look at my six days to see what I mean on the seventh. “ - Unknown

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Aaronic Priesthood holders should never diminish their importance in the priesthood, just because they are young or because they hold the Aaronic Priesthood.

“When you, as a priest, kneel at the sacrament table and offer up the prayer, which came by revelation, you place the entire congregation under covenant with the Lord. Is this a small thing? It is a most important and remarkable thing.“

1 Nephi 17:41

41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.

Alma 33:19-20

19 Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.

20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them.

We have the authority, but we need to live in such a way that we can exercise the power of that authority.

How do we reach our priesthood potential?

Pray with passion.

Do we participate in the priesthood with as much passion as we do our hobbies or our profession?

Mosiah 3:19

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

2 Nephi 2:27

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

Provo City Center Temple Dedication

We attended the dedication of the Provo City Center temple today. It was broadcast to our stake center.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

“It is the message that in our day, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, the gospel has been restored for the blessing of all who will listen and obey.

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“The dispensation of the fulness of times was ushered in by a very special vision to another young man not quite 15 years of age who went to the woods to pray for answers to the questions he had in his mind concerning religion.” (Elder L Tom Perry, “The Message of the Restoration, April 2007 General Conference)

Sometimes we try to show other Christian churches that we are Christian too. The point of the restoration is that we are not the same. We are Saints, covenant followers of Christ. We should be different than other Christians to some degree.

Before Joseph saw Father and Jesus Christ he was attacked by Satan to impede him receiving revelation. It is the same with us. When we are about to receive revelation, Satan works try to distract us from doing what is necessary to receive revelation.

We need to show our testimony through our countenance.

Sunday School

My teaching companion’s lesson on the atonement and debt.

Sacrament Service

The talk drew from Elder Kim B Clark’s October 2015 general conference talk, “Eyes to See and Ears to Hear”.

If we learn to hear the Lord's voice we will know when it is him. His voice could mean the way that the spirit speaks to us. When we learn what those promptings feel like we can better understand them.

We all have different ways of doing things, but we are equal in God's eyes. Equal does not mean the same.

Sunday, March 06, 2016

The lesson was based on the March first presidency message by President Thomas S Monson, “Learn of Me”, Ensign March 2016.

“When you encourage students to raise their hand to respond to a question, they signify to the Holy Spirit their willingness to learn. That use of moral agency will allow the Spirit to motivate and give them more powerful guidance during your time together. Participation allows individuals to experience being led by the Spirit. They learn to recognize and feel what spiritual guidance is. It is through the repeated process of feeling impressions, recording them, and obeying them that one learns to depend on the direction of the Spirit more than on communication through the five senses.“ ()

Matthew 11:28-30

28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

One perspective on this scripture is that it could apply to the burden of our standards and how they make the rest of our life lighter.

“Jesus taught a simple yet profound truth as recorded in Matthew. After He and His disciples had descended from the Mount of Transfiguration, they paused at Galilee and then went to Capernaum. There the disciples came unto Jesus, asking:

“‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

‘And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

‘And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’5”

What does it mean to be truly converted? It is the difference between belief and faith.

“The goal of gospel teaching … is not to ‘pour information’ into the minds of class members. … The aim is to inspire the individual to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles” (Thomas S Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 107)

A disciple is one who models their life after a master.

“Jesus ‘taught … many things by parables,’13 which require ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand. As we live worthily, we can better hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, which can ‘teach [us] all things, and bring all things to [our] remembrance.’14

“When we respond to the Lord’s gentle invitation, ‘Learn of me,’ we become partakers of His divine power. Let us, therefore, go forward in the spirit of obedience, following our Exemplar by teaching as He would have us teach and learning as He would have us learn.”

Sunday School

My lesson on How can I use the words of living prophets and apostles to strengthen my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

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Is there anything in your gospel studies from this week that you would like to share our that you have questions about?

Today we are going to talk about: How can I use the words of living prophets and apostles to strengthen my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Let’s everyone take the follow quotes and tell us something about apostles.

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Bible Dictionary - Apostle

“The calling of an Apostle is to be a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world, particularly of His divinity and of His bodily resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:22; D&C 107:23).”

Doctrine and Covenants 107:23

23 The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

Doctrine and Covenants 27:12

12 And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them;

President Boyd K Packer, The Witness,” Ensign, May 2014, 97

“Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon recorded the following after a sacred experience:

“‘And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

Elder David A Bednar said this about what it means to be a special witness of Christ:

“The role of an Apostle today is the same as it was anciently (see Acts 1:22; 4:33). Our commission is to go into all the world and proclaim “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (see Mark 16:15, 1 Corinthians 2:2). An Apostle is a missionary and a special witness of the name of Christ. The “name of Christ” refers to the totality of the Savior’s mission, death, and resurrection—His authority, His doctrine, and His unique qualifications as the Son of God to be our Redeemer and our Savior. As special witnesses of the name of Christ, we bear testimony of the reality, divinity, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His infinite and eternal Atonement, and His gospel.”(Elder David A. Bednar, "Special Witnesses of the Name of Christ," in Religious Educator 12, no. 2 (2011): 1-11.)

Let’s everyone take two paragraphs and then tell us something about Christ that was in those paragraphs and why it matters.

The Living Christ

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“As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

“He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

“He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.

“We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.

“He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).

“Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“‘I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father’ (D&C 110:3–4).

Of Him the Prophet also declared: ‘And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“‘For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“‘That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

“We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—’built upon the foundation of . . . apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone’ (Ephesians 2:20).

“We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

“We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.”